Blizzard
by Nightangel1282
Summary: AU. Youko and Hiei are notorious thieves in Demon World and are separated when going through a portal to Human World, escaping bounty hunters. Youko is injured and rescued by a local. YK/OC/H Better summary inside
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, ladies and gents... Here's a story I've been working on for a little while and was planning on putting up before all my little issues started rearing their ugly heads. I figured I'd post it up to keep you occupied until the rest of my stories have been updated... Enjoy!**

**This is an AU Yu Yu Hakusho fan fiction. The only two characters from that series that are going to be in this story are Hiei and Youko Kurama. It is set in present day and Youko never took up residence in Suichi Minamino's body. He and Hiei are friends and partners, very notorious thieves in the Demon World. While escaping demon bounty hunters, they use their energy to enter Human World and wind up becoming separated in a raging blizzard...**

**I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.**

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Scant seconds after being blinded by a field of white in his vision, Youko felt his left hind leg snap and an intense shooting pain ran through his body. Then he landed in an awkward position upon a blanket of white snow in a horrendous blizzard. The snow was falling tremendously and the wind was making the already frigid air feel all that much colder. He was relieved at the moment that he was in his Fox Form. He didn't think that he'd be able to handle it as well as he was if he'd taken on his humanoid shape before coming here.

The fox took a moment to try and catch his breath, wincing as the cold air seemed to cut straight into his lungs with each intake, and then took in his surroundings. He soon found that such efforts were useless in this weather as the snow was falling so heavily he could only see six or seven feel around him. However, as he looked above himself he found the reason for his broken leg... a large tree. His leg must have hit it after he had gone through his portal. He sniffed the air and his eyes flared red briefly in his frustration. The cold had made his acute sense of smell completely and utterly useless. And he could hear nothing but the howling of the wind.

He took stock of his current situation. He was freezing cold, the weather very effectively crippling his sense of sight, smell, and hearing. The energy he had exerted in order to fight, escape his pursuers and open the portal had drained him significantly, and his leg was injured. In spite of his efforts to keep himself composed, he started to shiver as the biting wind and snow made it past his fur, leaving him to try and cover himself with his five tails. It did very little to help stave off the cold.

_Hiei?_ He called out in his mind. After waiting several minutes and receiving no answer, the kitsune elicited a rare sigh. The fire demon would have the ability to keep him warm, if he were near. Unfortunately, that did not seem to be the case. They had been separated in all the confusion. And chances were that Hiei was just as drained of his energy as the fox himself was.

It would be difficult to recover when he was immobile, but it could be even more dangerous to wander around when he could hardly see what was in front of him. Glancing down at his leg, he saw the break was severe, a small hint of white bone sticking out amongst the fur. At least the cold would help to prevent infection... not that that was much of a concern in the first place. He could possibly walk on three legs, but with his energy depleted the way it was, he felt it would be in his best interests to remain where he was and hope Hiei located him with his Jagan Eye. He silently hoped it would be soon. Although his leg would heal in only about a day and a half or so, he didn't relish the thought of rebreaking it so he wasn't burdened with a limp.

So, resigning himself, the fox curled up into as tight a ball as he could to fight off the cold and started to wait.

Time crawled by slowly, despite the kitsune's efforts to ignore the howling wind and the horrifically cold temperature. He would occasionally shake his fur to keep from becoming completely buried in the snow, before he would settle down once more. He wasn't sure if hours had gone by or only minutes, but finally something caught his attention.

Suddenly, in addition to the howling wind, Youko heard the crunching of footsteps in the snow, and it sounded as if it was coming closer. The fox stiffened. Without his sense of smell, he was unable to discern if it was Hiei, but he realized that if it _was_ his friend, the koorime would have called out to him telepathically before making an entrance. So the kitsune quickly looked in the direction the new arrival was coming from, hoping it wasn't the demon hunters being even more stubborn than he had initially thought.

The figure slowly became visible, and it became evident that it most certainly was not Hiei. The figure was a few inches too tall, for one, and for another, there was no way his partner would be caught dead in such a bulky get up. Obviously it was a native to the area he now found himself in. Although that made him relax slightly, he refused to drop his guard.

The figure wore a light brown jacket that looked rather bulky, and the fox had the impression that there were several layers of clothes hidden underneath. Around his legs was another protective layer to protect from the cold... black pants and heavy boots to keep the snow from the wearers feet. The only thing he could make out of the face of this mystery man was his eyes, and even they were difficult to see with the onslaught of snow assailing his vision. A hood attached to the jacket was securely in place on his head, and he could see the front of another fabric hat that was on beneath it.. Across his face was a thick red scarf. Warm gloves protected the hands of the oncomer.

Youko quickly went over his possible means of defense in the event this human should seek to do him harm. Of course, even though his youki was severely depleted, he could still muster up enough of it to spring a deadly plant upon him. But doing so would leave the kitsune unconscious due to the energy drain. So that was something he didn't want to do. Such a thing would leave him completely defenseless. He wondered if he could muster up the strength to physically attack should the need come for such action. His claws and teeth would be more than enough to take care of this mortal, but what if friends or family noticed he was missing and sent out a search party? The fox was in no condition to take on a group, even if they were only humans.

Youko held his breath and waited, hoping the human was too engrossed in his trek to notice him.

No such luck. Seconds after that thought went through his mind, he heard a sharp intake of breath and saw the human had stopped in his tracks and was looking at the fox with wide eyes. He started forward immediately and the fox let out a loud growl of warning.

The human stopped and crouched down where he was, which was about five feet away from the kitsune's current position. The two of them regarded one another, another slightly softer growl escaping from the throat of the fox.

"Easy, big guy. I'm not going to hurt you," the human said, the scarf muffling the sound of his voice. "What happened? You look like you've got a broken leg there," he continued on in what Youko assumed was an attempt at a comforting voice. He came a little closer and the fox let out another growl.

"Easy, easy. It's okay," he said, raising his hands. The human was now only a few feet away from the fox and the kitsune glared into his eyes, trying to determine his intentions. He was met with a sea of blue.. "Let me try and help you, okay? I used to work as a vet and I've taken care of animals on a regular basis for the past three years. I've got supplies at my place, and I could have your leg set and you in a nice comfy environment in no time if you'd let me take you home with me."

The human slowly reached out, fully prepared to pull away should the fox try to take one of his hands off. Youko let out a continuous growl but froze the moment one hand gently touched the back of his neck. He could almost imagine the smile of relief on the humans face concealed beneath the scarf.

"There, you see? I'm not going to hurt you." The human took him in once more. "Hmmm. Larger than your average fox for sure, but I think I could handle the weight until we get to my house. I can't just leave you here, that's for sure! I'd never forgive myself if a beautiful creature like you froze to death."

Youko considered for a moment and frowned mentally. He would play along with this human for now, but the instant he made a wrong move, the kitsune would be standing over his bloodied corpse before he could blink. Being held in the arms of the human could actually work to his advantage in conserving his energy.

The fox went rigid and prepared himself for the pain, expecting the human to inadvertantly jostle his leg in the act of picking him up. But the human surprised him with the gentle and careful manner with which he took him into his arms, making sure the injured leg was out of harms way.

"Now let's get you to my place and take a look at that leg! It'll be nice to have company for once, even though you're not going to be much for conversation," he said in a somewhat cheery manner.

Youko breathed a mental sigh of relief. So the human lived alone. That would make things even easier for him. Once Hiei located him, the two of them could be rid of this pest and come up with a plan of their own.

The human continued on his way once more, this time holding a shivering kitsune in his arms. Youko scowled at himself for showing such pathetic weakness, but the cold wasn't leaving him much choice in the matter, and he didn't have the strength to warm himself with his youki. What body heat the human might be giving off was effectively locked in by the clothes he wore, so he had no relief there.

Frankly, the kitsune had no idea how the human knew where he was going. He walked for almost a half hour before turning and the fox could then see a light up ahead, made more clearly visible by the darkening skies. As they drew nearer, he saw a cozy looking home, smoke billowing out of a chimney and he couldn't help but feel a small measure of relief.

The man carefully repositioned the fox in his arms so he could open the front door and entered the home, leaning against the door with undisguised relief upon being safely inside the warm dwelling. He let out an immense sigh.

"Ah, blessed, blessed warmth! I'll bet you're happy to be out of _that _hellish weather! I was freezing myself in all these layers! I can't image how cold you must have been with only one!" After carefully setting fox down on some soft blankets in front of the fire place, he went toward the hearth and threw a couple logs on the smoldering embers to get a roaring fire going.

He stood up straight once more and stretched. "Wow! You're definitely heavier than I figured you'd be! Well, no rest for the weary. After I get out of these things, I'll see how your leg is and get you something to eat." He headed off toward a closet without another word and Youko took stock of his new surroundings.

It was one large room, with a short hall leading to what he assumed were the bedrooms and restroom. The room he was in right now had a dark brown wood on the walls, several pictures hanging upon it. Right in front of the fireplace was a couch for three or four people, and on one side of it was a large potted plant.

Youko grinned feraly. Good. If there was a plant in the house, then should his so called savior turn out to be a threat to him after all, he could easily use what little youki he had to dismember him with little effort.

Before he could examine the rest of the room, which seemed to be both a kitchen and a living room, his ears perked up when a huge sigh or relief sounded from by the closet. And he felt a jolt of shock go through his system with what he heard next.

"Ahhhh... Now _that_ is much better!"

It wasn't the words that shocked him. It was that the voice was unmistakably female.

His surprise increased when the human came back into sight. Youko couldn't help it as the thought entered his mind.

_Beautiful..._

His golden eyes were met with wide and expressive blue. A small lightly upturned nose, and wide mouth with full lips were framed by slightly tousled dark brown hair that billowed over her shoulders. She stood a few inches taller than Hiei and was currently unbuttoning a cream colored sweater, revealing a blue shirt beneath which, although was slightly loose, did nothing to hide her gorgeous body. Her breasts were a little larger than average, and she had a slender but athletic build. Her hips were wide, accentuated nicely by the snug blue jeans she wore.

When she looked at him, her lips formed a luxurious smile. Youko immediately decided that, were he in his humanoid form and not currently injured, he'd pounce on her.

"Okay, handsome, now that we're both relatively comfortable, why don't I take a look at that leg and get it set for you?" She came forward slowly in case he should be adverse to her approach. Youko didn't even growl this time, his mind still trying to compute the fact that his rescuer was female.

She sat down beside him, her face now scrunched in concern as she very gently reached out with long, slender fingers to examine his injury. He felt only the slightest shooting pain when she contacted him and he let out a low growl. She cast a quick glance at him and, once she was relatively sure that he wasn't going to lunge at her and tear her throat out, she continued to examine his injury.

She winced noticeably. "Ooohhhh... Compound fracture. You poor thing. How'd you manage that one?" Then she smiled prettily at him. "Well, no worries. I can have you fixed up in no time. Just wait here while I get my supplies, handsome!"

As the kistune watched her make her way down the hall, he couldn't help but notice that the back was just as nice as the front.

_Fox! Are you all right? If that onna did anything to you, I'll be more than happy to permanently remove her for you!_

Youko perked up immediately upon hearing the voice enter his mind. Looking at a window to the left, he saw a set of red eyes looking in. _Hiei! There you are! And she didn't do anything to harm me, although I'm not entirely certain of her intentions as of yet..._

_ I'll determine that. We're not going to take any chances._

**0o0o0o0o0oo0o0**

Outside the window, Hiei watched apprehensively as the woman reentered the room, carrying a metal box in her hands. She took her place beside the kitsune once more and started rummaging around inside it. She pulled out some splints, bandaging and a syringe.

Youko stiffened as she started filling the last item and let out a warning growl as she prepared it.

She blinked and then smiled at him. "No worries, handsome. All this is going to do is numb your leg so I can set the bone without it causing you pain. You'll get all the feeling back in your leg in just a couple of hours."

Hiei used his Jagan to delve into her mind and detected no deception. _You can trust her in this, Youko. She has absolutely no desire to bring you harm._

Trusting in his friend's judgement, Youko settled down and allowed the woman to inject him with the syringe. She smiled once she did so and got to her feet.

"I'll take about ten minutes for it to fully kick in, so I'll get you something to eat while we wait. You must be hungry." She went to the fridge and dug around in it for a moment. Then she pulled out a container. "I'll give you some chicken," she said, grinning a little mischievously. "I made far too much for myself yesterday, and so you, as the guest of the house, get first dibs on the leftovers." She set it down on the table briefly as she filled another bowl with some water from the tap and then came forward, setting it down in front of him.

Realizing his was absolutely famished, Youko dug right in, much to the woman's delight.

She smiled at him warmly. "Glad you like it." Then she leaned back with a small sigh. "You may not be much of a conversationalist, but it is nice to have some company this time of year. The past three years it's all been the same: Mom and Dad go running off to some nice warm southern region, along with all the neighbors. Funny how they never did that before I quit my job as a vet and moved back here. But since I'm best qualified to take care of their animals while they're all gone on a nice winter vacation, I get to grit my teeth and bear the cold to watch over everything for them." She shrugged. "Not that I _mind_ watching over them. I love animals, so why would I? It would just be nice if someone could actually come and visit with me once in a while. It sucks being out here by myself all the time. I don't even have a social life any more."

Her narrative was cut off by a large yawn. "Wow... it's been a long and tiring day. Let me just get your leg fixed up, and then I'll check to make sure you don't have any frostbite." She very carefully pressed on Youko's broken leg and, when he didn't even blink at the contact, she smiled in relief. She quickly set the bone in its proper place, positioned the splints, disinfected the open wound, and wrapped it securely. The fox had long since finished his meal and was currently watching her silently.

She smiled at him sweetly. "Okay, now to check your ears and tail for frostbite..." She went for the tail first and her eyes widened in obvious surprise. "_Five_ tails?"

Outside the window Hiei stiffened while Youko prepared himself for the worst, but both were surprised at what she said next.

She shrugged after a moment. "I've seen stranger. Minor genetic defects are common in the animal kingdom, though this is the first time I've had a patient with one..." Then she started to examine his tails one by one. "Besides, somehow they make you even cuter. I'm surprised I never noticed them until now actually."  
Youko frowned inwardly. _Genetic defects?_

Hiei shrugged from his perch outside the window. _ Just consider yourself lucky that she never made the real connection, fox. I would hate to have to kill her when she's in the middle of taking care of you._

Youko said nothing in response as the woman turned her attention to face him again, a gentle smile on her face.

"I'd like to check your ears and I'm hoping that since you just had a meal, that you won't feel inclined to bite my hand off." She carefully reached forward and, when Youko didn't so much as growl, she carefully prodded his ears with her soft hands. The fox was only barely able to keep himself from purring in delight, much to his partner's amusement.

_Trying to keep yourself under control, Youko?_

The fox inwardly growled in delight. _If I were able to at the moment, I'd revert to my humanoid form and make her into a woman..._

The girl pulled away after a couple of minutes and smiled at him. "You lucked out. No frost bite. I've gotta say, though, that you surprise me. You're easily the most cooperative patient I've had." Then she got to her feet and plunked down on the couch, grabbing a remote and turning on the television. She immediately changed the station to the weather network and after a few minutes of listening to the reports for other regions of the country, they got to her home province.

"And the Edmonton region is experiencing what historians are calling 'The Storm of the Century!' The snowfall and blizzard conditions are expected to continue throughout this week. Overnight, they can expect to receive another 30 cm of snow, and temperatures are expected to plummet to 37 below zero overnight..."

The woman moaned loudly hearing this and shut off the television. "Just great. Well, it looks like I'm in for a long day outdoors tomorrow. I have to shovel the snow off the front steps again and, since there's no way in hell I'm _walking_ in three feet of snow, I'll have to dig in front of the entrance to the garage too. I'll be using the snowmobile. I just hope the damn thing is running properly..." Then she sighed and forced a smile on her face as she looked at Youko again. "I'm just gonna sleep here on the couch tonight. I wouldn't be a very good caregiver if I just up and left you alone, now would I? Goodnight, handsome." She fluffed a pillow on the couch briefly before reaching up to turn off a lamp on one of the side tables, and curled up into a ball, going to sleep almost instantly.

Youko, after waiting a few minutes to ensure she was truly asleep, looked to the window to tell Hiei to come inside, but was stunned when he already saw his friend leaning against the wall, his arms crossed. His head band was off, leaving his Jagan Eye exposed.

"She won't wake up. My Jagan will make sure of that. So, why don't you tell me what happened, fox? How the hell did you wind up in the company of this woman?"

Youko shrugged mentally. _She came across me while I was injured and lying in the snow. To be perfectly honest, I didn't even know she was a female until she removed her clothes once we got here. She seemed genuinely concerned from the moment she saw me, and after considering the option of staying there, I decided to take a chance. After all, if she turns out to be a threat in the future, I can easily make use of that plant there and take care of her permanently. Although to do something like that would be a sad waste of a beautiful woman..._

Hiei rolled his eyes. "You foxes and your hormones. If you want to fuck her, then it will have to wait until your energy is restored, and that won't happen until tomorrow night. Are you willing to play the dumb fox until then? Then we can get rid of her and get out of here."

Youko rolled his eyes. _And go where? The hunters are probably still looking for us in Demon World, and we know next to nothing about Human World. The woman has proven herself trustworthy thus far... Why don't we reveal ourselves to her tomorrow night, tell her our situation and see if she can't be 'persuaded' to help us?_

Hiei stared at him. "You're willing to put that much trust in some ningen onna after being with her for only a couple of hours? Have you lost your mind, fox?"

The kitsune looked at him evenly. _Hey, if she doesn't want to go for it, or if she goes for it and proves to be less than honorable, then we'll just kill her and be done with it. It's not like someone like her will prove a challenge. And it's not like she knows how to get into contact with the hunters that were after us in the first place, so what can she do?_

Hiei considered this for a moment. "I suppose you do have a point. But at the first sign of deception on her part, I'm lopping off her head." He looked at the sleeping woman for a moment, and then turned his attention back to the fox. "You realize she's going to be terrified of us."

Youko grinned. _That fear will pass... provided SOMEONE isn't threatening to send her head rolling from the get go... or brandishing his sword in her face. Just leave the majority of the talking to me and things should go all right._

Hiei shrugged. "Hn. If you say so. Just hope you're not making a mistake, kitsune."

Youko didn't bother to reply as he carefully curled up into a ball, wrapping his tails around him, and went to sleep.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

**K, I'll put up the next chapter tomorrow. Tell me what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, here's chapter two. Please tell me what you think in the reviews! **

**I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho.**

**0o0o0o0o0o0**

Youko woke to the sound of fabric against fabric and looked up to see the woman sitting up from the couch. The sun was still down and she scowled when she looked at the clock on the wall.

She let out a heavy sigh. "Oh, goody. Time to get up and start working." She let out a yawn and stretched. Youko almost licked his lips at the sight she made in the morning. She went straight to the fridge when she got up and put something together in a clean bowl. When she dropped it down beside his head, he saw hamburger, still delightfully red, in the dish.

She smiled at him a little sleepily. "I figured you'd like that. I took it out of the freezer just for you last night. She filled another bowl with water and set that one down beside him as well. "I hope that holds you over until I get back from the neighbours, handsome." She headed into the kitchen once more and rustled around, quickly making some breakfast for herself. She also made herself some coffee and quickly gulped back a few cups of the strong smelling brew.

Once she was finished eating, she looked at the clock and grimaced. "Damn, I better get shovelling. That alone'll take me about an hour." She disappeared down the hall for a few minutes and re-emerged wearing a loose, black shirt, and jeans of the same color. Then she threw on her cream colored sweater once again and proceeded to the closet to bundle up. Once she felt somewhat prepared to face the cold morning, she took in a deep breath and went out the door.

Youko soon learned that Hiei had simply taken shelter in the hay-loft of a nearby barn. Although the conditions certainly hadn't been the cleanest, he had been out of the storm itself. The cold was, of course, no concern to him.

_The onna is shovelling a path from the house to another building,_ Hiei reported._ The snow is up past her knees. I think she'll be out there a little longer than she thought._

In fact, it took the girl almost two full hours to shovel the path and to check the contraption inside the other building to make sure it was still operative. She finally entered the house once more, immediately divesting herself of her jacket, gloves and head coverings as she poured herself another cup of coffee. Her face was very flushed from the cold and she was breathing deeply, trying to catch her breath.

She flopped down on the couch and noticed her patient looking at her with what could only be amusement. She let out a small moan. "I'm half dead and the day's hardly started. I've got to go to three acreages to take care of the neighbours animals and make sure things are as they should be." She shook her head wearily. "Why me?" She slammed back her coffee and got to her feet again with a wince. She looked at the fox. "Well, I'll be gone for a while. It'll more than likely be dark by the time I come back." She glanced at the window and saw that the sky was starting to lighten. She looked at the clock and saw it was after eight AM. She winced. "Correction: It'll _definitely_ be dark by the time I get back. I'll change the bandages on your leg then and make sure you're not getting any infections." She gave him her best attempt at a smile. "I'll see you later, handsome!" Then she replaced her winter clothes and plunged out the door and into the cold once more.

A few moments later, Youko heard the unfamiliar sound of a motor outside, faint amid the sounds generated by the storm. He listened intently as the sound faded away into the distance.

"Hn. I guess I may as well stay in here while she's gone," Hiei said from the window. He was in his usual position: arms across his chest, leaning against the wall casually.

Youko nodded. _May as well. She'll be gone most of the day. Why waste it? You'll wind up sleeping in here tonight, anyway._

Hiei snorted. "I still think you're nuts to trust her so easily. But at least she's weak so she would be easy to kill if she does turn out to be a threat to us."

Youko said nothing to this observation.

The two of them spent the day lounging in the living room of the woman's home, telepathically talking about nothing in particular to pass the time. The hours passed quickly and, a little over an hour after the sun had set, they heard the sound of her contraption approaching once more. Youko glanced in the direction the noise was coming from and wasn't really surprised when Hiei had vanished by the time he looked back.

A few more minutes passed before the woman came inside. When she removed her winter clothing, the kitsune could tell at a glance that the woman was absolutely exhausted. She was also holding her side and wincing in pain.

"Damn horse," she muttered irritably under her breath. Then she let out a monster yawn, giving a considerably more noticeable wince in the process. "Stupid thing kicked me while I was trimming his hooves. I was lucky there was a pile of hay behind me or it could've been worse. I think I have a few cracked ribs..." Then she shook it off. "Well, let's take a peek at your leg, change the bandaging, I'll get you some food and then I'm passing out." She picked up her med kit and settled down beside him.

Youko was stiff as she carefully unwrapped the bandaging. There was no longer any fear of her accidentally hurting him since his injury had long since healed and his youki was now replenished. Outside the window, Hiei watched in silence.

The woman smiled as she prepared to examine his injury, but as her fingers brushed his fur, her expression slowly changed to that of confusion. She blinked hard a couple times and examined his leg more carefully, disbelief crossing her features.

"The hell?" She looked from the silently watching Youko to his leg and back again. "This... isn't possible. You had a compound fracture last night but... it's healed? How? You should have needed a few weeks to recover at least!" Her brow furrowed in confusion. "What's going on?"

Youko made his move.

As the woman looked at the fox curiously, a cold fear rose up in her when she saw his eyes glow red and a white light started to emanate from him. She let out a cry of alarm, falling back as she stared. When she saw the fox's form vanish in the light and start to grow, she screeched and jumped to her feet, starting to run.

She only got three steps, however, when the decorative plant in the living room unexpectedly reached out, wrapping its long leaves around her and keeping her from escaping, pinning her arms to her sides. She struggled desperately, panic now settling in, but it was hopeless. The leaves were too secure for her to hope to escape from them.

Her heart was pounding insanely in her chest when an unfamiliar man stepped into her line of sight. He was dressed all in black except for a white puffy collar on his cloak/jacket, and white headband going across his forehead. His eyes were red and emotionless as he looked at her steadily. He had a sword sheathed on his hip. Then she heard the footsteps approaching her from behind and she shut her eyes tight, cringing in fear.

_Oh, God, oh God! This can't be happening to me! This isn't happening to me! It's just a nightmare, right? I didn't just see a fox start glowing and transforming into... well, I don't know what he transformed into and... Oh God, Oh God..._

The footsteps stopped directly behind her and she cringed when a set of arms gently wrapped around her and pulled her into a lean but muscular chest. The woman started trembling in fear.

His lips came up close to her ear and he hushed her gently. "Shhh... it's all right. We won't hurt you, little one," he murmured. "Just relax and calm down. I know you're afraid right now, but neither one of us will bring you harm." Youko said this pointedly, giving his friend a look.

Hiei smirked. _All right. I won't hurt her. If she betrays us I'll make sure her death is swift and painless._

The kitsune gave his friend a warning glare, but said nothing as he continued to hold the petrified woman against him and hushed her gently. He briefly played with the thought of laying her on the blankets in front of the fireplace, but he knew he'd have to go slowly if he wanted her cooperation. Rape was a strict taboo for him. After all, if worst came to worse, he could always use the kitsune seduction.

Thinking about that for a moment, Youko released just a small amount of his calming pheremone to help the woman relax so they could get her into a better state than she was right now.

_He can talk_, was the only thing she could think once the fox man had softly spoken into her ear. So, he had human intelligence, obviously, but that wasn't making her feel much better. He obviously was NOT human, and she didn't have a clue what he actually WAS. _That_ was the issue that caused her fear. And how the hell had his friend gotten in without her noticing?

Just as she thought her terror was going to reach its peak, she caught a whiff of a strange, but not unpleasant odour that disappeared almost as quickly as it came. Her head immediately felt a little lighter and she felt herself unconsciously starting to relax. Her mind seemed to clear somewhat and her fear factor went down a notch.

When Youko felt the woman in his arms relax in his hold and lean into him slightly, he had to put a tight reign on the beast within. The delicate scent of lilac and cinnamon hit him and he almost growled in pleasure. He struggled to maintain his self control.

_Be careful, fox,_ Hiei warned him suddenly. _She's already exhausted and your little trick is going to knock her out if you're not careful._

The woman felt her eyes starting to grow heavy, fatigue and this strange new relaxing sensation bypassing her fear. Then the fox-man spoke again, his clawed hands very gently running up and down her pinned arms.

"You see, little one? We will not harm you. Had we intended to bring you harm, we would have done so already. You selflessly rescued me when I was injured, so why would I wish to hurt you? Just keep calm and the two of us will explain what is going on, all right?" He leaned in a little closer and his lips barely brushed against her earlobe, causing a slight shiver to go through her. "I'll release you from the plant now. Please, don't try to run."

The woman just nodded silently, taking deep breaths to try and calm herself down. She felt the leaves around her retract gently, returning to their previous positions as a completely harmless plant.

The woman's eyes were still closed, as if that alone would make the strangeness of this situation go away. Youko swept the woman up into his arms. She went rigid once more, but he hushed her gently as he settled down on the couch, cradling her in his lap. Hiei came around to lean against the wall beside the television, his expression still neutral.

The kitsune's lips quirked slightly when he saw the woman's eyes were still shut tight. "Open your eyes little one. I won't bite." He couldn't keep a small amount of humor from his voice.

The woman's eyes slowly opened and she hesitantly looked up to see Youko's humanoid form for the first time.

She couldn't help it as she took in a startled breath when she saw the fox-man's face, a small smirk playing on his lips as he regarded her steadily with those golden eyes. He was beautiful. He had long silver hair, almost milky skin, and... fox ears perched on top of his head. As if they had a mind of their own, her hands twitched and started to move toward the ears set so enticingly before her.

Youko quickly freed one of his hands to catch hers before they could reach the furry appendages. The girl froze when he caught her hands in his one.

"I don't recommend you do that, little one. My ears are rather... sensitive. You would find yourself in a far more... intimate position than we are now... if you catch my meaning..."

Her skin turned an almost grey color, as if her body couldn't decide if it should turn red or white.

The small, dark, red-eyed man spoke for the first time, shifting his position. "Hn. And you were warning _me_ against scaring her, Youko? I hardly think suggestive comments are going to put her mind at ease."

The man holding her in his lap smirked over at his friend, his eyes turning mischievous. "What do you expect, Hiei? I'm a kitsune. It's in my nature."

The girl's eyes widened hearing this and she looked at him in shock. "Kitsune?" she whispered, stunned. "That's..."

His eyes were upon her again. "A fox demon, yes."

Her skin made its choice. She turned white.

Youko released her now lightly trembling hands and gently caressed the side of her face. "Shhh... It's all right. Believe it or not, demons are not what most humans think we are. When I told you we wouldn't hurt you, I meant it."

The woman closed her eyes for a moment and took in some slow, deep breaths, trying to keep herself calm and composed. The fox pulled her a little closer to him. Once she seemed sufficiently calmed, he leaned his mouth close to her ear once more, sending a small bit of hot air on her neck as he spoke to her softly.

"I am Youko Kurama and my companion is Hiei. May we have your name, little one?"

"Jessica," she said quietly, now trying to fight off an oncoming blush from the close contact.

He smiled at her gently, but the borderline lustful glint in his eyes made her a little uneasy. "It is a pleasure to meet you, little Jessica," he said, taking her hand and kissing the palm, his golden eyes never leaving her own. "Now, why don't Hiei and I explain our situation to you? We are hoping you might be willing to help us actually. You can make your decision once we have finished explaining, all right?"

The girl could only nod a little numbly, her gaze briefly flickering to where Hiei still stood, staring at her with those eerie red eyes.

So, the two of them explained about the three different worlds (Human World, Demon World, and Spirit World), and how the two of them were infamous thieves in the Demon World. They told her how they had used a huge amount of energy to fight and escape their pursuers to enter Human World.

"We got separated when we went through the portal," Youko explained to the now stunned woman still being held in his arms. "I was in my fox form, and as I fell through, my leg hit a tree, which is how I got injured. Given my circumstances, I was understandably wary when you came across me."

Hiei nodded. "We were both wary. I was prepared to slice your head off if you showed even the slightest intention of harming Youko."

Jessica's eyes went wide, hearing the little demon's words.

Youko rolled his eyes. "I somehow doubt she finds that reassuring, Hiei..."

He smirked. "Well, at least I'm not obsessed with getting in her pants."

The girls expression suggested she wished a hole would open up beneath her.

Youko shrugged as if Hiei's comment didn't matter. He turned his attention back to the woman. "And now, since we risk being hunted once more if we return to Demon World too quickly, and the weather is less than favorable at this point in time, we were wondering if you would allow us to stay here."

The woman's head jerked up hearing this request and she looked from one demon to the other. She had no idea that Hiei was looking into her head as she processed their request and considered her options.

_Oh great. Just great. This is what I get for being a good samaratin, I guess. Okay, let's look over the situation and view my options, shall we? I'm living out in the boonies and I have two wanted demon criminals asking for refuge in my home. Mind you, they're only thieves, but they must be DANGEROUS if they have those hunters after them. They even admitted that they're infamous! I'm not stupid enough to ask them to prove that. So now the question is... do I let them stay here? My choices are to say 'no' and possibly get killed by Hiei after Youko does heaven knows what to me, or to say 'yes' and hope for the best._ Laid out before her like that, it really was a no brainer. _Well, at least they'll give me some company..._

She sighed heavily. "You're free to stay if you want, at least until the weather lets up. Is that okay?"

The grin Youko gave her made her blood turn to ice. "That's all we ask, little one."

Hiei shrugged. "We weren't intending on staying here long, anyway."

She hesitated. "One question, though. Those guys that were after you... What do we do if they come here looking for you?"

The little demon shrugged again. "We were weakened from a previous battle when they got the jump on us. Now that we are up to par, they will pose little trouble to us. And they are forbidden to harm humans."

That, at least, made Jessica relax a little. She knew she was safe from their pursuers, at least. She would just have to stay on her guests good sides so she remained safe from _them._

Then, despite her new guests strange circumstances, the good hostess in her came to the surface as she looked at Hiei. "So... are you hungry? You've been here for over a day and you haven't eaten anything."

He looked indifferent. "Hn. If you want to feed me, go ahead. I normally just hunt for my food, but if there's something available, it'll just save me the trouble."

The girl nodded and started to remove herself from Youko's hold. Then a shooting pain ran through her side and she took in a sharp breath.

A look of mild concern crossed the kitsune's face. "Ah, that's right. You were injured earlier. You mentioned being kicked?"

She nodded, trying not to scowl. "Stormy always was rather temperamental. Especially when you try trimming his hooves."

Youko's grin turned absolutely devilish and before Jessica knew what was really happening, she found herself laying down on the couch, Youko now kneeling on the floor at her side. Her eyes went huge and she turned bright red when she realized his intentions.

"Um, you know, I can take care of this myself. Really. I'm sure it's just a few cracked ribs and it's not like I haven't..."

"Nonsense," Youko cut in before she could continue speaking. "You healed my leg. I should at least determine how badly injured you are." His eyes were mischievous and he had a smirk on his face. "Don't try to argue now. I've made up my mind."

Glancing over at the kitsune's friend, she saw Hiei had a similar expression on his face. He was obviously amused by her situation and she knew she would be receiving no help from him.

She was about to say something else, hoping to convince Youko that she could handle it on her own, when his hand contacted with the bare skin of her torso. Before she could stop it, she let out a startled gasp and forgot what she had been about to say to him.

His hands were surprisingly soft and gentle as he probed the hoof-shaped contusion on her ribs, pressing very gently and causing another surge of pain to race up her side. She momentarily forgot the situation and had to bite down on her tongue to keep from crying out at the sudden pain.

He nodded thoughtfully, his expression serious. "You have four cracked ribs. But it should pose little trouble for me to repair the damage." He sent a mischievous look to Hiei. "I wonder... which method should I use to heal this injury, Hiei? My plants or... my _other_ healing method?"

Hiei's smirk vanished. "I think you should wait for a few days to use your _other_ method, fox. We just met her and she's still wary of us both. Pleasure aside, if we want to stay here, we should try to make her feel a little more at ease."

Youko seemed to consider his words and then nodded with a disappointed sigh. Jessica didn't know what this 'other method' was, but had a feeling she now owed Hiei a thank you.

So, as she watched, the kitsune swept his fingers through his hair and produced a small seed. After a few seconds the seed glowed softly and started to sprout, growing at a rapid pace. She could do nothing but watch, mesmerized. He then had a plant that was totally unfamiliar to her in his hands which had large, strangely thick leavers. He plucked one of the leaves off and the plant shrank down into a seed once more.

Using his claws, he then poked a hold in the tip of the leaf and gently squeezed out a thick liquid that was concealed within it. He warmed it slightly with his hands and then, smirking, starting applying it to her wound, using gentle, circular motions with the pads of his fingers.

Jessica immediately turned a bright red and struggled to maintain her composure with very little success. Resisting the urge to squirm was becoming difficult. He didn't stop until the leafs substance had been absorbed into her skin after about ten straight minutes of working it in. Then he gave her a grin that set her a little on edge.

"It should be healed by morning, but if you find you are still experiencing pain at that time, just tell me and I would only be too happy to reapply the ointment." Then he leaned forward and brushed his lips against her earlobe. "Or perhaps I'll choose to use my _other_ method," he purred.

She turned a blazing red immediately and, successfully ignoring the pain that accompanied the movement, she scrambled off the couch. She smiled at him forcefully. "Oh, that's okay! I'm sure it'll be perfectly fine by then! In the meantime, I really should go to bed!" Then she caught sight of Hiei. The demon wasn't even trying to hide his amusement at her situation. She suddenly remembered her previous offer to him. "Food! Right! Um..." She dove for the fridge and dug around in it for a moment, giving both demons a wonderful view of her butt. Then she re-emerged with a plate containing the last of the leftover chicken." Sorry, I know it's not much, but it should hold you over until morning, and it takes a little while to heat it up and I'm behind in going to sleep as it is, so I'll see you both in the morning. Goodnight!" She almost tripped over herself running down the hall.

Youko chuckled, deeply amused. "She's positively adorable."

"Hn."

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Jessica sighed in relief when she was finally in her room and quickly closed the door behind her. She stood there for a moment looking at the door, a frown on her face. She considered her new guests and wondered about what exactly they were capable of.

She sighed again. "Is there even a point to locking the door?" she muttered to herself.

"Not really," came a voice from behind her.

She let out a screech and whirled, seeing Hiei standing beside her bed, his arms across his chest. "How the hell did you...?" Then she shook her head. "No. Never mind. I don't think I want to know." She looked at him a little warily. She didn't know which demon made her more uneasy... the one who obviously wanted to have sex with her, or the one who had implied he wanted to kill her and was currently alone with her in her bedroom. "So... what are you doing in here, if you don't mind my asking?" she asked a little hesitantly.

His expression was void as he looked at her coolly. "I'm here to give you fair warning, onna. And this is the only warning I will give you, so you had best listen well." He removed his headband and her eyes went wide when she saw a purple eye sitting in the middle of his forehead. "This is known as a Jagan Eye and it allows me to look into other people's minds." He took a step forward and she suddenly found herself pressed up against the door. His face was mere inches from her own before she could blink! The only thing that was keeping her from having a full blown panic attack was that his sword was still in its sheath at his hip. "I will be monitoring you _very _closely, onna. If I suspect you are planning something, I will immediately inform Youko and we will deal with you together."

She stared at him in disbelief. She couldn't help it as she felt a small tinge of anger come to her. "Planning something? What the hell do you think I could possibly _do?_ I can't get into contact with anybody who could hurt you guys! I somehow doubt those guys that were after you are listed in the phone book, and short of that, I have no contact with the outside world right now!"

A hint of surprise crossed his features and then he smirked. "So you do have a bit of fire within you as well, onna. That's good. And here I thought our stay might be boring." Jessica stiffened slightly when she could have sworn she saw just a hint of lust cross his features, but it was gone before she could be sure. He stepped back from her and gave her room to walk past him. "Go to sleep, onna. I have a feeling you're going to be gone most of the day again tomorrow?"

She nodded. "Yeah, no rest for the house sitter," she said, a somewhat forced smile on her face.

"Hn."

Jessica turned to glance at her clock and then was about to ask Hiei if there was anything else he or Youko wanted before she went to sleep, only to find she was alone in her room once more. Blinking in surprise, she sighed and just decided to go to bed. She changed, climbed under the covers, turned off her bedside lamp, and fell asleep almost instantly.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

**Okay, I'll have chapter three up tomorrow! Please review! ^_^  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**I know it's not very long, but I'm doing what I can.**

**Here's chapter 3 of Blizzard.**

**I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. Just Jessica.**

**0o0o0o0o0o0**

Slowly crawling her way out of sleep the next morning, Jessica gradually became aware that she was snuggled up to a warm, furry body. She felt whatever creature it was nuzzle her neck. She almost tightened her hold on the friendly creature before she realized that she didn't own a dog and the events of the past few days caught up with her. She quickly released her hold on the bundle of warm fur and opened her eyes. She found herself looking into the mischievous golden eyes of a beautiful silver fox.

Still too tired to get angry, she simply stretched and yawned, trying to get the morning kinks out of her joints as she blinked at the creature sleepily. "Youko... why are you in your fox form and why are you in my bed?"

She could have sworn the creature beside her grinned and his eyes danced playfully. He suddenly flared brightly for a few seconds, momentarily blinding her and when she could see again, Youko Kurama was beside her, gazing at her. Before she knew what was happening, she was on her back and he was on top of her, a grin playing on his lips as he looked at her lustfully.

"Why, you're right, little one. This form is _far_ better suited for this situation, wouldn't you agree?" He leaned forward, his lips hovering millimeters above her own. She could feel his breath hot against her lips and she was frozen. "I could do so much more to you as I am now," he said huskily, his lips moving down her throat where he brushed them lightly against her smooth skin.

She gasped in alarm and squirmed slightly. Then her eyes went enormous when she realized she was sleeping in her silky negligee last night. All that was keeping him from her was two layers of silk... his and her own.

"Y-Youko, I don't think..."

"Don't you want to play with me, little one?" His lips were by her ear once again. "I can promise you, my dear Jessica, the pleasure would be beyond anything you have experienced before."

His hands started running down the sides of her body and when it looked as if he was only going to continue, she felt her fear rising once again. She was afraid to outright tell him to back off, not knowing what his reaction would be. But she didn't want this! Not now!

Youko stiffened slightly and paused, looking at the woman's face. Her eyes were wide, and although her features were flushed, they were not displaying the expression of one who was enjoying themselves. He smelled her oncoming fear and sighed. Removing his hands from the sides of her body, he gently cupped her face with them instead.

Youko's gaze lost its lust. "I can see you are not yet willing, little one. And you have no fear of me forcing myself upon you," he said gently. "Rape is not something I condone and shall never do for myself." His expression turned thoughtful. "Of course, there is always the kitsune seduction, but I won't use it this early on in the game." He smirked. "I will leave you be this morning, but that doesn't mean I won't try again tonight."

Jessica breathed a sigh of relief hearing this. She nodded wordlessly and the kitsune climbed from on top of her, helping her to her feet. His lusting gaze returned almost immediately when he saw her state of dress, however.

Her light blue, spaghetti strap negligee only went about a third of the way down to her knees and showed off an impressive amount of cleavage. The fox didn't even bother concealing the fact that he was looking her over and he made an appreciative growl.

Jessica immediately turned bright red and tried to conceal her chest somewhat by crossing her arms, her own expression turning wary once again.

"You tempt me without even meaning to, little one. So few women can do that, even in the Demon World." He gave her one last looking over before he turned and left her room without another word.

The girl let out an immense sigh of relief and held a hand over her chest. _Those guys are going to turn me into a nervous wreck! I can't believe I'm actually looking forward to going to work this morning! I think I need some time alone to think everything through and absorb everything that's happened._

Shoving the matter from her mind for a few minutes, she set about getting herself dressed and prepared for the day. Looking at her clock, she realized she woke up a half hour later than she should have and sighed again. She had also missed the weather report in her eagerness to put some distance between herself and her two new guests the night before. She could only hope that the weather was in her favor today, but i the report the night before had been any indication...

Well, she would just have to wait and see. Making sure her jeans and long sleeved black shirt were in place, she quickly ran a brush through her hair and then exited the room.

Somewhat cautiously entering the living room, she saw that Youko was now seated in a chair beside one of the windows overlooking the back yard, peering outside. He spared her a look, a playful grin on his face as he drank her in with his eyes before returning to looking outward.

Hiei was sitting in a hard backed chair, one leg crossed over the other, his feet on the kitchen table and his arms across his chest. Jessica didn't say anything about where his feet were, having a feeling he probably wouldn't listen to her anyway. The smaller demon gave her a quick look with those eerie red eyes of his and then continued to feign indifference to her presence.

The woman approached the window where Youko was seated and looked out with him. Though it was still dark outside, the light cast from the window allowed her to see that the snow was falling and there was a good wind to go along with it. She frowned, making her way to another window and peering out. The thermometer outside stated that it was currently thirty below and she winced. She wasn't looking forward to feeling the wind chill. It was going to make it feel like fifty below at least.

Letting out another sigh, she started making coffee for herself and prepared a quick breakfast for her and her guests.

Youko was the first to break the silence that morning.

"Must you go? Even with all the clothes you'll be wearing you're going to freeze out there."

Jessica cast a look at him, not sure if he really was concerned or if he just wanted her to stay here where he could continue flirting with her all day. "I'm the only person who can do it, unless you guys are interested in shovelling animal shit out of barns, feeding cows, chickens and horses, doing some grooming and checking every animal over for signs of injury or disease. Those duties don't include making sure the cats and dogs at the neighbours places get individual attention and ensuring that the neighbours homes are still in good order."

"Hn. And why is it that _you _are the one left with that kind of responsibility?" Hiei asked. As she had spoken, his eyes had opened and he had turned to look at her.

"Because I'm the only one who_ can._ I'm the only person in the area who has medical knowledge when it comes to caring for animals, and I'm experienced when it comes to working on an acreage. I used to work as a veterinerian, so I'm always called on if one of the neighbours needs something done with their animals."

Youko nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, you mentioned that the other night. Why did you quit that job, if I may ask?"

This time she scowled a little. "I got sick of it after people kept coming in with perfectly healthy animals to have them put down. Especially kittens and puppies. You'd think they would have the common sense to make sure their family pets couldn't breed, or take a little time to find homes for the babies, but..." She shook her head and looked at the clock on the wall. She winced when she realized she had to get going. "Anyways, I have to get a move on. I'll see you guys when I get home tonight."

She went to the closet and quickly got dressed, hoping it wasn't going to be as cold as she thought. Giving her two unexpected house guests a quick wave, she headed outside and realized immediately that it wasn't as cold as she'd feared.

It was even worse.

Trying unsuccessfully to ignore the freezing cold, she headed to the snowmobile, dreading the day ahead of her.

**0o0o0o0o0o0**

Jessica was outside, allowing the dogs to relieve themselves and get some fresh air at the Stevenson's acreage. She had been there for almost four hours and the sun was now up, but hidden behind a thick layer of clouds. Although the wind had died down a little, it was still absolutely freezing cold.

Seeing that the dogs were no longer in need of the restroom, she started them back to the barn so they could lay down in the hay and out of the cold wind. Then she heard someone call out to her, much to her surprise.

"Excuse me, sir? Could I have a word with you, please?"

Turning in surprise, she saw a man bundled up in police issue winter gear approaching her from the end of the Stevenson's driveway. She frowned beneath her scarf. There was no way in hell a car could have driven through all the snow on these roads, and she doubted even the most hardened police officer would be crazy enough to wander around the countryside on foot in this weather.

Sasha, the female husky at her side started to growl, her shackles rising. Nanook, the male, soon followed. She quickly hushed them and faced the approaching 'officer', her own mind sending off warning signals.

"Can I help you, officer?" she asked, pretending she didn't suspect anything.

He smiled. "I certainly hope so. My name is Detective Richards and I'm with the RCMP Special Forces. We have reason to believe that there are two wanted criminals in the area. Can you tell me if you've seen anything you would deem suspicious in the past couple of days?"

No way is this any kind of a coincidence, she thought to herself. Glancing down and seeing his gun holster, she resisted the urge to snort in amusement. She shook her head. "Nothing, and I'm the only person in the area right now. Everyone else is gone on vacation down south. I'm house sitting and watching all their animals for them." She went all out looking concerned, even though all that was showing was her eyes. "Should I be worried? I'm all by myself out here and with the way the weather is lately, help will be a long time coming if something does happen. How dangerous are these guys that you're looking for?"

The man looked her right in the eyes and she had to bite back a gasp when she saw his eyes were slitted. "_Very_ dangerous. But if you haven't seen them in the past couple of days, then they're probably gone by now. They just escaped somewhere in this general area." He seemed to consider for a moment. "You said you house sit for the neighbours? You haven't seen any sigh of trouble when you were at their places?"

She shook her head. "Not a thing. You're the first person I've seen in over a week since my parents left for Mexico. Besides, we hardly ever have trouble makers out in these parts."

He seemed to consider for a moment. "All right, sir. Thank you for your time. I won't hold you up from your duties any longer. Have a good day." He turned and started for the end of the driveway once more.

She listened for a few moments after he was out of sight. No car engine. Running to the end of the driveway herself, she looked left and right and saw no police officer. Following his tracks with her eyes, she saw he had gone behind the treeline, when the tracks just stopped. She shivered and this time it had nothing to do with the cold.

She frowned for a long moment, just standing there and thinking. Then she whistled for the dogs and led them inside the barn once more, fed them, and made short work of the rest of her chores. Then she jumped on her snowmobile once more.

**0o0o0o0o0o0**

Youko and Hiei were both more than a little surprised when the woman came home only a few hours after she had left. She entered the house and quickly removed her hood and the scarf.

"Guys, I think we have a problem."

Their expressions turned dead serious in an instant. Youko got up from his seat and took a few steps forward, while Hiei removed his feet from the table and uncrossed his arms.

"What kind of a problem?" the kitsune asked.

She crossed her arms and regarded them both steadily. "About a half hour ago I was approached by someone claiming to be a police officer. But there was no way in hell this guy was a cop. OR human."

"What makes you so sure?" Hiei asked now.

She ticked off the points on her fingers. "Well, for one thing, he didn't show up in a car and he didn't follow proper police procedure. If that wasn't suspicious enough, he had slitted eyes, a 'mattel' label on his gun holster, and vanished into thin air after he told me two wanted criminals had disappeared in the area and asked me if I'd seen anything suspicious."

Youko raised one of his eyebrows. "Mattel label?"

Jessica smirked. "Mattel is a toy manufacturer. That gun of his probably squirted water."

Hiei's eyes narrowed slightly. "Did you tell him anything?"

Her eyes widened. "Of course not! Do you think I would be stupid enough to come back here if I did? I don't have a death wish, you know!"

The little demon got to his feet in one smooth move and approached her. "Onna, I want you to replay everything that happened to you in your mind." He placed his fingers over her temples.

Shrugging inwardly, Jessica did as he asked, Youko standing off to the side with his arms crossed and a contemplative frown on his face.

Jessica had closed her eyes during the process and when she had replayed the entire scene over in her mind once more, she found herself looking into the fiery eyes of Hiei. He removed his fingers and smirked at her.

"Well done, onna. But I'm curious... why didn't you correct him when he mistook you for a man?"

She blinked at this question and shrugged. "I didn't see any real point to it. The less he knows the better, right?"

"Hn." He turned to Youko. "It was one of them. It seems they aren't giving up as easily as we had hoped."

Youko considered this information for a long moment. Then he looked at the woman before them. "You still have work to do?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I was just finishing up with the first acreage when he approached me. I still have two more to go."

He frowned thoughtfully. "They may keep you under observation. I can't sense any other demonic presences at the moment, but they may return." He turned to Hiei. "You should follow her for the rest of the day to ensure that they truly are gone, Hiei. You are excellent at stealth, and you can keep yourself warm without any effort."

Hiei nodded. "I was just thinking the same thing."

Jessica almost protested, but then thought better of it. She wasn't sure how she felt about Hiei following her around, but at least he would be close if she was approached by one of those bounty hunters again.

She sighed inwardly and replaced her hood and scarf. She didn't bother checking to see if he was following her outside, knowing he was probably going to be just out of her line of sight.

**0o0o0o0o0o0**

Forty minutes later she entered the main barn on the MacGregors acreage. It was, thankfully, heated with a power generator to make sure that the animals were toasty warm. Inside were ten cows and a bull in a separate pen. In an adjoining room, six purebred horses were waiting to receive their own attention.

After divesting herself of the winter clothes, Jessica diligently went through the motions of her chores... providing food for each cow and the bull, and checking them over to ensure that they were healthy, and cleaned the area of their leavings.

Then she headed into the adjoining room which had the horses stalls. Six purebred appalloosa's waited within for her, including Stormy, the temperamental horse who had kicked her yesterday, and Buttercup, the MacGregors prized and most valuable horse, who was also very pregnant.

Deciding to leave the two of them for last and just get the other ones over and done with, she proceeded to give each horse a check up.

It turned out that Midnight's teeth were overgrown and she had no choice but to file them down or they would start to hurt him and affect his appetite. As she started doing the procedure, Hiei showed up for the first time.

"What are you doing?" he asked, a surprisingly curious expression on his face.

She spared him a quick glanced and a bare smile before returning to her job. "Horses are one of the few animals whose teeth don't stop growing throughout their life. If you don't file the teeth down every few months, then it affects their ability to eat their food and causes them pain. They can even become infected." She paused for a moment. "I remember back when I worked as a vet, I got called out to a farm because their horse wouldn't eat and was becoming malnourished and lethargic. I found that the teeth were so overgrown that sores had developed in the poor thing's mouth and they were severely infected. The infection had spread through its blood stream and unfortunately there was nothing that I could do. We had to euthanize it."

"Hn. It would not have lived if you hadn't?"

She considered. "Well, it would have lived for a few more months, but its condition would have gotten much worse with the passage of time. It would have become emaciated and its infection would have only worsened. Don't get me wrong; I tried to treat it with antibiotics, but its condition was too far along for them to have any real effect. By killing it, we just saved it pain."

When Hiei said nothing, Jessica looked around and found he was no longer in sight. Shrugging it off, she focused on finishing her work on Midnight and moved on to the next horse.

The next two horses were perfectly healthy, so she just brushed their coats and fed them. She checked on Buttercup, who seemed to be perfectly healthy and having no complications in her pregnancy, and finally, onto Stormy.

She noticed immediately that he was holding up one of his hind legs a little, indicating that he was in pain. "What's the matter, Stormy? Something wrong with your foot, sweetie?" She moved around the animal to the back of his pen to examine the possible injury. She gently lifted up his leg to examine the underside of his hoof. She saw one of the nails had come loose and bent, digging into a sensitive area on his foot. "Oh, that's no good, huh?" She reached beside her, where there was a small shelf containing a hammer and nails. "I'll just get that fixed up for you and..."

Without warning, his good leg lifted and slammed into her chest once more, sending her crashing through the old wooden fence that housed him. It shattered upon contact and sent her sprawling onto the floor. Searing pain wracked her body, but especially a particularily agonizing pain in her upper leg. She screamed.

Hiei was at her side in an instant, having heard the commotion from outside where he had been continuing his surveillance.

"CHRIST, HORSE! WHAT THE FUCK IS THE MATTER WITH YOU LATELY?" Jessica screamed, gritting her teeth against the pain.

Hiei was quickly checking her over and frowned deeply when he looked at her leg. A large splinter of wood had lodged itself deep within her upper thigh, blood seeping out of the sides of the wound, and he knew he had to get it out. He took in his surroundings and saw some old, but fairly clean sheets hanging in the far corner of the barn. He grabbed the cleanest one and tore it into strips as he made his way back to her.

"This is going to hurt, onna," he said, giving her his only warning as he gripped a hold of the piece of wood. Then, in one swift move, he yanked it out. Jessica screamed again and promptly fainted as Hiei quickly blocked the now open and gushing wound, binding it tightly. Sending a glare toward the horse who had caused the onna to be injured, Hiei lifted the woman into his arms and shot out the door toward her place.

**0o0o0o0o0o0**

**Read and Review please! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, here's chapter four of Blizzard. I own nothing but my own characters.**

**Enjoy!**

**0o0o0o0o0o0**

Youko was ready for the woman and Hiei's arrival, having been told of the incident by Hiei telepathically on their way back. He noticed when Hiei came in that he hadn't bothered grabbing her winter clothes from where ever she had put them in the barn, instead using his youki to keep her warm. The woman was still unconscious.

The fox motioned toward the fireplace. "Put her on the blankets there and get me some warm water," he said, sweeping his fingers through his hair and producing several seeds.

Hiei simply did as he was told and the kitsune quickly knelt by the woman's side and started examining her injuries for himself.

She had a few other large slivers in her arms and legs, and now instead of mere cracked ribs, she had five that were broken. Listening to her uneven breathing, he guessed she might have a collapsed lung as well. Looking down at her leg, he saw blood leaking through the make-shift bandage and nodded to himself. He had best get that taken care of before anything else.

Hiei approached, carrying a large bowl of warm water as Youko started removing the bandage around the woman's most serious wound. "I need to remove her pants and properly treat the wound before it becomes infected," he said. The fire demon knew what was expected of him and simply nodded, setting the water aside as he started the process of removing her jeans.

When they got to the region of the injury, they very carefully peeled the blood-soaked material away from her skin, exposing the full injury. Youko, unable to really help himself, took a moment to note that the woman was wearing light green panties that hugged her hips. Then, shaking his perverted thoughts off for the moment, he returned to the issue at hand. Motioning for the water, he took several of his seeds and made them grow, plucking off leaves, stems, petals and some strange juices the various plants produced, he mixed it into the bowl of water. He then soaked a cloth into the water for a few moments, keeping the flowing blood staunched with a thick towel.

He looked at his companion, his expression very serious. "The treatment of her wound is going to be excruciatingly painful, Hiei. I know such a thing is not your specialty, but try to keep her calm."

The little demon shrugged. "Hn. I'll use my Jagan to block out some of the pain for her." He positioned himself by her head and carefully lifted it and placed it in his lap. Placing the tips of his fingers at her temples, he activated his Jagan Eye.

Even with the effects of his Jagan, the woman let out whimpers of pain as the fox worked steadfastly on the wound, using his ointment to keep the wound from becoming infected, and which would also help it heal much faster.

After several long minutes of working on the wound, he bound it securely and moved on, removing the smaller splinters that had lodged themselves in other regions of her body. He disinfected those minor wounds as well, knowing all too well that even minor wound could cause severe infections. Then, after treating and binding her ribs, he wrapped her in the blankets and let her rest in front of the fire place.

"We should just let her rest for now," Youko said. He reached forward and gently brushed some of her hair from her face. "The poor little thing looks too frail to be taking on so much."

Hiei shrugged. "It's not as if she doesn't enjoy her responsibilities, but you're right that she is overworking herself. She was exhausted before we even arrived."

The kitsune nodded silently in agreement and the two of them spent the next few hours lounging around the house and conversing about nothing in particular telepathically.

Their lounging stopped the moment they heard a pained groan and heard the light rustle of fabric on fabric. Youko was at Jessica's side in an instant, Hiei standing at his shoulder. The woman opened her eyes and looked around a little blearily for a moment before her eyes closed once more and she let out a long sigh.

"You won't hear me say things like this often but... I'm _really_ starting to hate that fucking horse," she muttered.

The two demons smirked as Youko brushed away some stray hair that was dangerously close to her eyes. Her eyes snapped open when she felt his clawed hand gently brush against her forehead. "He certainly did a number on you, but I have treated your wounds and given you some medicine to relieve you of some of the pain. You should be recovered in only a day or so."

Jessica's eyes widened. "Ah, shit! I still had to..."

"Onna," Hiei cut in. "Put the animals out of your mind for now and focus on your own recovery. They won't die if you leave them for a day."

Casting a glance at the window and seeing that the daylight was rapidly decreasing, she let out a sigh and frowned. "I suppose one day won't hurt anything. I'll just make the Kremp's acreage my first stop when I head out again. But I really need to use the bathroom, so I'm just..." She pulled the blankets back and let out a shriek as she quickly pulled them back over her again. She was cherry red and her eyes were enormous. "I... I'm..."

Youko let a devilish smirk cross his features as he leaned in close to the young woman. "Just feel fortunate, little Jessica, that I didn't feel the need to remove _all_ of your clothes. Considering that you _are_ covered and that Hiei and myself have already seen you in your current state, there's nothing for you to be embarrassed about, is there?" He pulled away from her then and offered her a hand up. "Now come. There is no need to make you even more uncomfortable by forcefully holding it in."

Jessica considered for a moment, and then let out a sigh. She accepted the kitsune's help, but the moment she was on her feet again, a searing pain shot through her thigh and Youko had to catch her before she could crash to the floor.

"It seems you are still in pain in spite of the medicine I gave you," he said, that smirk of his growing by leaps and bounds. "I suppose I shall just have to help you out, then." With that said, the kitsune swept her up into his arms. Realizing his intentions, Jessica's eyes widened.

"You know, this really isn't necessary. I have a set of crutches laying around here somewhere and..."

"But this is much easier and more convenient, little Jessica. No arguments now, I've made up my mind."

She let out another sigh. _I'll give in this time because he healed me, but he better not let it go to his head!_ "Okay, you can bring me into the bathroom, but _please_ let me have my privacy."

He looked as if he was considering her request for a few moments, cast a glance at Hiei, and then let out a sigh of his own. "Very well, little one. I will set you down inside and then wait outside the door until you are done."

Jessica breathed a huge sigh of relief hearing this, and she nodded to him thankfully. The kitsune made his way into the bathroom with the woman in his arms and couldn't help but feel a tinge of disappointment when he saw a bar beside the toilet that was obviously meant for additional support. He set the woman down in front of toilet and then, giving her one of his devilish grins, he exited the room, telling her he would be waiting outside.

She never thought she would be so happy they had installed this thing when her mother had broken her ankle three years before. After having a brief struggle in pulling down her undergarments and then pulling them back up, she took a deep breath and called in Youko once again.

The fox let his gaze flicker across her form as he approached her once more and lifted her up into his arms. Then, grinning, he re-entered the living room and sat down on the couch, still holding the woman in lap.

Jessica turned bright red. "Um... what are you doing?"

Youko gave her one of his mischievous grins. "Well, when I was injured you stayed at my side the entire night. It's only fair that I do the same, don't you think?"

She felt her face get even hotter. "Well, yeah, but I..."

"You are even more so injured than I was, so it only makes sense that I keep you closer than you did me. I'll be able to detect even the slightest discomfort and be able to rectify it far more quickly." Then he allowed his expression to turn serious. "Jessica. You have my word that I will not take advantage of you. You can rest easy."

The woman looked up at him for a few long seconds before she let out a sigh, and laid her head on his chest. "I'm too tired to argue..."

The kitsune wrapped his arms around the woman and held her close. One hand started gently rubbing up and down her back, while the other started stroking her hair. She stiffened slightly, but then relaxed when he didn't do anything else. In spite of her own misgivings about this situation, she had to admit that it sure felt nice to have someone hold her like this again.

_Christ, it's been too long since I've been with a man,_ she thought. Had her eyes not been closed when she let this thought come into her mind, she would have seen Hiei send an evil smirk in her direction.

The feel of the kitsune's warm body and the sensations he was stirring up with the gentle movements of his hands quickly did their work. Before the woman was even really aware of it herself, she had dropped off into sleep.

**0o0o0o0o0o0**

She wasn't sure how long she slept before she woke up, finding she was still in the arms of Youko. Although the pain in her ribs was now next to non-existent, her leg and her back were now throbbing, sending jolt after jolt of pain through her.

The fox was still sleeping, his head leaning up against the back of the couch, and Hiei was sleeping sitting against the wall, his own head having fallen into his chest.

She groggily wondered at what the time was and carefully craned her head, trying to look behind Youko's head so she could see the clock and not wake him at the same time.

"Hn. It's still early, onna. You don't usually wake up until a few hours from now."

The voice was quiet, but clearly audible. She blinked in surprise and her head whipped around to see Hiei looking right at her from his position against the wall.

"I thought you were asleep," she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. He seemed to hear her just fine.

He shrugged. "I make a point of being aware of my surroundings even as I sleep. To do otherwise would most likely get you killed in the Demon World."

"And he's not the only one who's awake," Youko said now, stirring slightly. When Jessica looked up at him, she saw his eyes were fixed right on her. "And how are you feeling this morning, little one?"

"Better than before," she said, but Hiei cut her off before she could say anything else.

"Don't lie, onna. You're still in pain, but you don't want to admit it."

Her head whipped in his direction once more, her eyes wide. She couldn't help but feel some annoyance come to the surface. "Am I ever going to have private thoughts while you're here?"

He smirked but said nothing. He put his hands behind his head and continued to lean against the wall.

Youko looked at her, somehow managing to look reprimanding as well as amused. "Come now, my little Jessica. If you are still experiencing pain, then tell me where it hurts so I can take care of it." He leaned in closer, brushing his lips against her earlobe. "Or would you prefer me to tie you down and give you a full examination?" he purred.

She turned a blazing red immediately and seemed to fumble for the right words. Finally she gave a low growl. "Dirty trick," she muttered before letting out a sigh. "It's my back and..." she turned redder and couldn't bring herself to meet his gaze. "...my leg."

Youko paused hearing this, before letting out a sound that was a cross between a growl and a sigh. "I _knew _I forgot something last night... Hiei had told me you went through a wooden fence, but once I saw your leg and all the splinters..." He shrugged. "Well, no point dwelling on it now. I'll just have to take care it this morning, I guess. But first..." Jessica found herself laying on the blankets in front of the fire place, the kitsune focusing on her bandaged leg. Blood had seeped through the bandage overnight, in spite of the remedies he had applied to it... a sure indication of how deep the wound had been. When he had finished carefully unwrapping it, he gently prodded the injury with his fingers.

The woman immediately let out a hiss of pain and her hands gripped the blankets in a white knuckled grip. Her eyes shut tight and she had to fight to keep herself from kicking the fox with her good leg.

Only seconds after she felt the searing pain, soft fingertips came into contact with her temples and the pain diminished significantly. Her eyes snapped open in surprise and she blinked, seeing Hiei's ruby orbs staring down into her own. She couldn't help but let out a shiver.

"It's all right, onna. I'm using my jagan to block out the pain for you."

She managed a small nod and forced herself to relax as Youko continued his examination. He scowled slightly after a moment.

"It's healing slower than I thought. It's only about half done." He looked at her. "I think it would be for the best if you skipped work today."

She balked. "I hadn't finished the second acreage, and still had a third to go yesterday! That would be two straight days with no care!"

He frowned at her slightly. "Jessica, with your leg in this condition, if you overexert yourself it could cause the wound to reopen. I can only bind it so tightly without it cutting off your circulation. And with how much you DO on those acreages, your condition worsening would be almost certain."

The woman's mind was going a mile a minute, desperately trying to think of something that would work out. "Okay, how about a compromise?" she asked, trying not to sound desperate.

He rose an eyebrow, curious. "What did you have in mind?"

"Okay. How about I just feed them and take care of the ones that have obvious injuries? Normally I examine all the animals one at a time, which is why it takes me so long to get the job done, but if I just feed them and only treated the ones who are obviously sick or injured, then it'll cut my time down significantly. If need be, I'll even take a few minutes to rest if I feel like I'm overdoing it."

Youko pursed his lips in thought before nodding hesitantly. "I suppose that would be all right. Since Hiei will be with you, he can ensure that you do, indeed, take it easy."

Her eyes widened. "Hiei's going to...?"

The shorter demon smirked. "Well, since that contraption of yours and your winter clothing is still where you left them, I will have to bring you there if you're going. Not to mention those demon hunters might still be in the area. I didn't detect them yesterday when I was with you, but that doesn't mean anything."

Jessica blinked and then moaned, realizing something. "Great. That means that the snowmobile's been outside in a raging blizzard for almost an entire day. I'll be lucky if it's not completely buried. Hell, I'll be lucky if it even _runs_ anymore."

Hiei shrugged. "You may have gotten lucky. But you still do have one more injury that needs tending before you can even think of going."

Youko grinned at her in a way that set her on edge. "Yes. And for me to treat this injury, I will have to ask you to remove your shirt."

She turned tomato red immediately. Then she let out a long winded sigh, muttered something about 'wishing she could kill that damn horse', and then started to slowly sit up. Youko immediately moved to help her, as Hiei stayed at her back.

Then she gave the fox a look that plainly told him she wasn't happy about having to do this, before gripping the bottom of her shirt and pulling it off over the top of her head. Youko let out an appreciative growl and didn't bother to conceal the fact that he was looking her over. She blushed even further and held her arms across her chest to try concealing her breasts and the bra that held them in place.

Youko reached forward and placed a hand on her bare shoulder. "Lay down on your stomach now, little one." He started brushing his fingers through his hair and brought forth a seed that looked identical to the one he had used when she had first met him.

Only a few minutes after first spying the seed, Jessica felt warm hands gently start massaging the strange substance onto her back. Youko used gentle circular motions that instantly caused her to relax.

"Youko, you're going to put me to sleep," she muttered quietly.

He just chuckled. "Then sleep, little one. You have several hours to rest. You can leave a little later than you usually do since you're not going to be breaking your back working today."

The girl allowed her eyes to close, and promptly fell asleep.

**0o0o0o0o0o0**

Jessica slowly woke up again several hours later and saw that it was starting to get light outside. She was still on the blankets in front of the fireplace, one comforter concealing that she was dressed in nothing but a bra and a pair of panties. This made her turn very red when she realized Youko was laying down behind her and was holding her close with one arm. Thankfully, his hands and arms were on the blanket and not _under_ it and against her own skin.

A quick look around revealed that Hiei was sitting leaning against the wall beside the fireplace, only a few feet to her right. Even though his head was in his chest, Jessica had to wonder if he was really asleep.

She very carefully started trying to make her way out from under Youko's arm, but got nowhere when it simply tightened its hold on her and pulled her closer to him. She froze a moment and then a sneaking suspicion told her that Youko wasn't asleep either. Casting a glance in Hiei's direction, she saw his head was up and he was smirking at her.

She sighed inwardly. _Yup, I'll take that to mean that Youko's awake and being a pain..._

Confirming it once and for all, Youko brought his lips right up to her ear, brushing against them lightly and sending a blast of his hot breath onto her neck as he spoke.

"Well, good morning, little one. Are you getting up already?" Did she just feel one of his fangs brush up against her ear lobe? Jessica turned red immediately.

"I kinda have to," she said, trying not to squirm. She gasped when she felt his lips start brushing the skin of her neck. Then the hand that was around her started trailing up and down her front.

"Must you? I was just starting to get comfortable..." he murmured seductively in her ear.

_Oh no, not THIS again..._ Jessica wailed in her mind. Youko had told her that he would never rape her and that if she didn't like the attention, than she had only to say so, but... DAMNIT! It wasn't easy to say NO to someone who intimidated the hell out of you...

Hiei shifted from his position then. "Youko, unless you want the onna and I returning in the early morning hours, I suggest we let her get ready."

The movement stopped and she heard a disappointed sigh from behind her. "Oh, very well..." The arm released her and she let out a sigh of relief.

_Thank you, Hiei!_ She thought, not knowing that the hybrid had picked it up.

She quickly got to her feet, making sure the blanket was still wrapped around her. "Well, um... I'm just going to go get dressed..." Ignoring the aching pain that was still emanating from her thigh, she quickly made her way to her room.

Youko glowered at his friend. "You couldn't have given me just a _few_ more minutes, could you?"

Hiei shook his head. "Believe it or not, kitsune, you were scaring her. Whether you mean to or not, you intimidate her and she's afraid to tell you 'no.'"

The fox looked from his friend to the direction the woman had just disappeared. Then he let out a sigh. "Well, I'm going to have to give her more assurances that I won't harm her, I guess..."

Hiei shrugged. "She doesn't seem to mind when you simply hold her. I suggest just keeping her comfortable and relaxed rather than trying to turn her on. She seemed quite content earlier when she was in your lap."

Youko smirked. "Well, at least it's a step up from where we were yesterday..."

Jessica re-emerged from down the hall, dressed in a fresh pair of jeans and a black, long sleeved shirt. She made up a quick breakfast for the three of them, barely taking the time to inhale it as she bustled around the house.

Hiei looked at her once she had settled down somewhat. "Hn. You ready to go now, onna?"

She took a last quick look around the house and nodded. "Yeah, I'm good." Then she looked down at herself. "I feel nuts going outside wearing this..."

He smirked and approached the door. When Jessica went to join him, she blinked when she felt him take her hand in his own, and braced for the worst when he opened the door.

She was honestly shocked when she was now outside in the raging snowstorm, wearing nothing but a shirt and a pair of jeans, and was unable to feel the cold. She couldn't help but look at Hiei with some measure of awe. "How are you...?"

"I'm a fire demon, onna. I just extended my aura to you as well, and as long as you are in contact with me, you will not feel the cold." He answered, anticipating her question. Rather than giving her a chance to say anything else, he scooped the woman up into his arms and vanished from sight.

Youko had watched the little exchange and smirked. "Well, Hiei... let's see if _you_ fare any better than I have been..."

**0o0o0o0o0o0**

**Review please! ^_^**


End file.
